How to b a better hitter (like my fav player Ken Griffey Jr.)

Question
Dear Rick Bundy,

Thnx for answering my question bout bein a better fielder. I was hoping you can help me be a better all around hitter (like my fav player Ken Griffey Jr.) I want to be able to drive the ball and also to just hit it. I was wondering can you tell me the avg. speed pitching 15-16 yr old kids will b throwin.

Also my hitting can use some help. Basically can you tell me the avg. pitching speed for most 15-16 years old kids. I also want to be able to be a better contact hitter and to read pitches. Also what are some good workous so i can drive the ball.

thnx

Answer
Robert:  It is not possible to make specific corrections, without actually looking at your swing.

What follows are a set of hitting progressions to work on.  These need to be developed first, so that when you step in the batters box, the reactions come without thought.

Average pitching speed for 15-16 yr. olds will vary widely.  My guess, and it is just a guess, would be somewhere between 70 and the low 80's.  It also would depend upon whether you are playing varsity ball, or JV ball.

Hitting Progressions:

1.  Stance ~ Feet a little wider than shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, weight on the inside of your feet

2.  Grip ~ You want your knocking knuckles aligned.  Grab your bat, point both of your index fingers.  They should both be pointing in the same direction, directly away from you.  Let your elbows hang comfortably, your hands about letter high.

3.  Load your hands ~  Load your hands back ( go back to go forward ), they should be set, behind your back leg, when the pitcher gets to the top of his release point.
4.  Stride ~  Get to the hinting position, slow and soon.  The shorter and softer the stride, the less opportunity there is for head movement.  Stride on line, straight back at the pitcher.  The more your head moves, the more your eyes move.  The best major league hitters, their head moves 3-4 inches at most.  If your eyes move, the ball moves, making it harder to hit.  Stride then hit, not stride and hit.  They are two separate movements.

5.  Squish the bug ~ This is where your power comes from, generated from the ground, up.  The rotation of your back foot allows you to turn your hips.  This foot rotation starts before your hands; feet first, hands last.  Without that foot rotation the swing becomes all arms.  The more you can turn your hips, without turning your shoulders, the more power you generate.

6.  Hands/Swing ~ Keep hands inside the ball.  Take the knob of the bat to the ball, palm of your top hand to the pitcher.  Keep head down through contact, you should be looking down your top arm.  See the baseball early, and track it to contact.

Stay balanced over your knees.  Finish strong and balanced, swing through the ball, not to the ball.

If you are correctly balanced, you will not be falling backwards on contact.  Finish in the same two footprints you were in after you completed your stride.

Robert, you can drill these progressions over and over.  They need to be pure reaction in the batters box.  Hitters don't have the time to do any thinking once they are in that box.  Visualize a pitcher throwing a ball to you and work through your progressions.  It won't take long before you start to feel your swing and movements smoothing out.

Move to a tee at that point and concentrate on the same steps, then have someone throw you soft toss and then move to short toss.  Stay with these levels, ending with live BP, or off a machine.

I personally do not like machines.  Much better to have a live arm to pick up release point on, transfers much better to the field.

Yogi Berra said, "You can't think and hit at the same time."  It is true!

You mentioned your fav player is Ken Griffey Jr.  I talked with a sports psychologist who was with the Mariners, when Griffey was there.  He said between at bats, he used to go back in the clubhouse and watch video of himself, from successful at bats.  He took that visualization to the on deck circle, then to the plate.  He believed it helped him get in the right mind set.

If you look on my website www.theoleballgame.com, there is a page under hitting called Hitting Success.  You might find it interesting.  It is hitting information provided by Alex Rodriguez, Edgar Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr., and John Olerud.

Their theory is a solid one to go with.

Better contact means better vision.  See the ball early, track it all the way through contact.

Definition of a good at bat;  See the ball early, put a good swing on it, drive it hard somewhere.

If you do all 3 of the above at each at bat, you will be successful.

FOCUS ON THE PROCESS, THE RESULTS TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES!

I hope this helps you on your way back to baseball.  

Good luck.

Yours in baseball,

Rick